The Divergent Games
by mintysplash
Summary: A twelve year old Abnegation girl takes her test to see if her name will be placed in the Reaping Balls.
1. Chapter 1: The Test

Mother smooths my already wrinkle-free dress, and smiles at me. My dress is gray and limp at my bone-like hips. This is the only time I am allowed to look in the mirror. Once a year. Before the reapings.

My mother smiles and touches my cheek, her eyes dark with lack of sleep.

I try to smile back. I'm 12, my first year in the reapings. Then Angus walks in, in a gray shirt and gray pants.

"Don't you look lovely. Mr. Taylor would have been proud of you. Angus and I exchange a glance of sadness. Mr. Taylor, our father, was attacked and killed by a factionless man last year. He was so selfless to try and help the poor man. I miss him.

"Yes, he would." Says Angus coldly. He hates adressing our father as Mr. Taylor, but we are told to in school so we do.

"Come on, breakfast is ready. Special today." I follow her and Angus into the kitchen, where two small white bowls sit on the table. The oatmeal has bananas today.

We eat slowly, not one of us speaks. The Abnegation children do not speak unless spoken to. Besides, we could be picked for the Divergent Games.

"Time to go." Says mother, clearing the table.

We leave promptly and quietly, Angus and I each afraid of our results. If we are Divergent, our names are put in the reaping balls. Two girls and two boys are chosen from each Faction. 20 Tributes. I'm afraid. If I survive, I could choose any faction to join. Automatic membership. No initiation. If I die, I am erased from the memories of my friends and family.

I shiver.

Martha and Kat are waiting at the door. We all have the same dress.

Peacekeepers tell me to hold out my hand, and I yelp with pain as they prick my finger and stamp it in a book. Angus winces when they do it to him. Angus, his friend Mark, Martha, Kat, and I all sit at the same table. This is the table we sit in at school.

They call Martha's name, as well as two other boys and another girl, and they walk in single-file to two metal doors that slide open and close behind them.

It feels like hours before Angus and I are called, with Samantha and Tommy.

Once in the room, I sit down in the big leather chair, as instructed by the peacekeeper.

"594-HW." They say as I sit down. I cringe as they plunge a needle into my neck.

The whole world spins into darkness. I come to in the chair again, and wait for a few minutes. Nobody says anything, so I excuse myself from the room and down the hall to the cafeteria. Is that it? That was easy!

The doors slide open, and the cafeteria is empty. Where is everyone?

"Angus? Kat? Martha? Mark? Hello!"I call, and there is no answer. Suddenly, on the table in front of me, I notice 2 baskets. One contains a hunk of cheese, the other a dagger the length of my forearm. I grab both.

Just then, a dog bursts from nowhere, and growls menacingly. I drop the cheese and run, surprised when the dog eats the cheese. Then it rolls over on the ground, panting like an innocent dog. I stay away from it. It could kill me.

Just then, the floor gives way, and I hear a shriek. A small girl is sliding down into a crevice that could kill her. I run to her, jumping over stones and rocks that collapse under me. I just make it to her, pick her up, and throw her to safety. She just barely lands on solid ground around the pit. I, however, scream as I fall to my death.

Everything goes black.

I come to on a bus, holding the bar above my head. A man next to me holds a newspaper that reads

BRUTAL MURDER FINALLY APPREHENDED.

I feel queasy when I recognize the man in the picture below. I don't know where I know him from, but I don't want to find out.

"Do you know him?" Asks the man holding the paper, pointing to the man in the picture. I shake my head.

"Liar!" He hisses. "Do you know him?"

I shake my head again. "You must be mistaken!"

"I am Candor! I know you're lying! It could save me!" He says, sounding cold and desperate.

"Yes! But I dont know where from!" I blurt before covering my mouth.

Oops.

Then everything fades, and I wake in the test room chair.

The peacekeeper looks up from their clipboard. A mask covers their face, so I don't know if they're a girl or boy.

"Divergent. Dauntless, you picked the knife, Amity, you dropped the cheese, Erudite, you did not touch the dog, Abnegation, you selflessly gave yourself for the girl, Candor, you told the man the truth."

I gasp. "Five!? How did I get 5?"

They do not answer, but says "Reina Taylor, dismissed."

Then I leave, head spinning. I am going to be put in the reaping ball five times. One for each faction. I am doomed.


	2. Chapter 2: Finding Out

"You _what?_" asks Kat as we leave. I make a pouty-face at her.

"I already told you! This is the sixth time!" I exclaim. "Just be quiet!"

She looks away. Then Martha asks, "Are you okay?"

I don't answer, but run ahead to the bus stop. I don't want to talk to anyone. I haven't ever heard of anyone to get five factions in their Aptitude test: ever. Not even in the history books at school. I feel like crying. _I'm going to be chosen. I just know it._

I roll the thought around in my head: that I could die. I could be killed. I suddenly start to panic. Angus lays his hand over my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. "Sh... it's OK. You won't be chosen, I promise. Shh... there are one hundred fifty other kids that take the test, probably a good fifty of them are Divergent, most with 2 or 3 scores. That's about 140 slips. It's OK. Shh your chance is so low."

I love how my brother can make me feel calm in any situation.

By the time we arrive at home, it's 5:09. Dinner should be ready in 11 minutes. It always is.

But when I don't see Mother in the kitchen, I seek her out in her bedroom. She is sitting on her chair and looking out the window.

"What about supper?" I ask, confused as to why she's not cooking.

She turns to me. "It's at seven, Daughter. Take some time to think about tomorrow. Are you-" she begins, but I burst into tears and flee, slamming my door closed behind me. The Abnegation never slam doors.


	3. Chapter 3: Mother's Promise

I am surprised when I am not scolded. We are never allowed to slam doors, especially to our own rooms and on purpose. They say it is self-wallowing and selfish to be able to make a very loud noise.

I thought that was all jibberish, anyway.

My next few hours are spent punching myself, crying, wailing, and hoping I'm not picked. I am Divergent. I am Divergent. I am Divergent.

They taught us that we play the Divergent Games because the Bureau of Genetic Welfare of the General People wanted to show that they own us. There are no weapons in the city. Each faction has hidden Bureau Sniffs, as we call them. The children, do, that is. They earn friendships with people they know, and when they get in your house, BAM. They search everything before you can register what happened. At least, that's what's in the textbook at the Lower School.

I always wondered what the Bureau wanted from us. Why being Divergent matters. Something about a revolt and the Bureau said the Divergent are dangerous.

I don't really know that much. All the stuff about the Bureau of Genetic Welfare of the General People controling us, and revolting and all that was hundreds of years ago, and the only serious things I can catch about it is when I sneak out of bed and listen to Mother's conversations with Sadie, our neighbor.

I never realized how little I knew. We don't learn the serious stuff until Upper School, or Initiation Study.

Then I hear a knock at the door: Mother. "Daughter? Sadie and Belize are here for dinner. Can you come out now?"

I do not answer.

"Daughter, please. You can talk about it with me. Please just open the door."

Eventually I comply.

Mother sits on my bed next to me, and I curl into her shoulder and cry. "Shh, being Divergent doesn't mean you'll get into the Games. Sh it's alright. You can talk about it."

I explain from the beginning. "And... and I got Divergent: Amity, Dauntless, Erudite, Abnegation, and Candor..." I trail off as another tremor of sobs shake me. Mother looks into my eyes.

"The number of factions means nothing. Thats a five in one hundred fifty chance. Not likely. Not possible. You will not be chosen, I promise."


	4. Chapter 4: The Moment

Elisa Hartworn stands in the middle of the ten bowls: two for each district. I seek out the abnegation bowls: my name is in there five times. I shiver.

"Welcome to the ninety-third Divergent Games! I shall review the rules: each faction must provide an aptitude test to seek out all Divergent children from ages 12 to 18. Each faction must also provide two boys and two girls from the ages of 12 to 18. The number of slips per Youth depends on the number of factions their test displayed." I tremble. I tremble to the point where Anita, the fourteen-year-old girl next to me glares at me, then her eyes soften as she registers that I'm Five. Five factions.

"Let's begin with Amity. The girls shall be Nata Alzbeta and Erja Lettie, now for boys, Senta Claudie and Maynerd Sunder. Please sit on the Amity Tribute benches." I see the Chosen stand up and shuffle to the Amity Tribute benches. "Now Erudite. The girls are Jean Ellisa and Tilda Yun. As for the boys, Phanuel Luka and Arthur Timoteo. Please come forward to the Erudite Tribute benches."

"Good good, now Candor. Isebella Draga and Alexandrine Josipa. The boy tributes shall be Teodulo Ognian and Lugus Diarmad. Ah, Dauntless is next. Margriet Sherri and Gertrude Non. Wilmaer Origenes and Gregor Eutchios. And now, last but not least, Abnegation."

A shiver wracks through my spine. This is it.

"The girl tributes shall be Clarita Hosanna and Reina Taylor." I freeze in place. My mother's promise was wrong. I will be in the Games.


	5. Chapter 5: The Bureau

I hardly notice the Peacekeepers taking me and Clarita and the other Chosen away. I hardly notice the rule being recited again. I hardly notice a Peacekeeper tell us to walk through the body-scan machine to our Holding Rooms. I almost miss Mother and Angus come in. Angus is sobbing. I stand and face my mother, angry. "You promised!" I scream. "YOU PROMISED THEY WOULD NOT TAKE ME. YOU PROMISED IT WOULD BE OKAY! THIS IS NOT OKAY! I AM GOING TO DIE!"

I sit back down on the metal chair and wail. It goes on for a long time, then Angus scoops me up and calms me down. He will miss me.

"I-I..." stammers Mother, finding an excuse. There is no excuse for this.

At some point the Peacekeepers come. I am placed on the cot. I scramble and claw at the Peacekeeper holding me, and at the others taking away my family. "NO! PLEASE! MOTHER! ANGUS! PLEASE NO! DON'T LET THEM! NO!" I struggle for a long time until one of them punches my cheek, and my eyes roll into my head, and my teeth clatter, and my knees crumple below me. It must be hours before I wake.

My sleep is fitful, full of my family and people killing them and me. Angus's death was the hardest. His screams still echo in my ears.

I pace in the cell for days, occasionally receiving food. The Peacekeepers will not tell me what time it is.

Eventually, I am groomed and my hair is cut and my nails are trimmed and filed and my teeth are cleaned and my body is bathed. I glance in the mirror: I have never felt so odd. The Abnegation never look beautiful.

Then I am put on a train and sent to the Bureau of Genetic Welfare of the General People. This is where I will be prepared for my death.


	6. Chapter 6: Carine & Calixte

"Welcome, welcome to the Training Center! My name is Sankar and I'll be dividing you into groups! Okay..." The tall, muscular man puts a hand on his chin and looks around. "How about you," He motions to me, then to Calixte, a boy from Abnegation, then to Gertrude and Tilda, and lastly to Maynerd. "Yeah, that works." Sankar says, nodding. Calixte, Gertrude, Tilda, Maynerd and I are pulled to the Training Center Room 184. This is where we'll be training. A bit later, another boy, Arthur, catches up and explains that he's in our group too.

We begin training. I pick up a knife and throw a few times, sometimes hitting the heart, sometimes the neck, sometimes only grazing the shoulder, and sometimes missing altogether. Maynerd and Calixte made a habit of laughing when I miss, and complimenting me sarcastically when I hit the dummy. Every time they do, I whirl around and shoot them an angry glare, and they stick out their tongues.

Tilda kept quite the whole time, slinking cautiously around the weaponry, watching with owl's eyes. She rather frightens me. Arthur chats with Gertrude, and I can't hear what he says, but it makes her go crazy with laughter. _Am I the only one trying to practice? Come on this is the Divergent Games! _I think to myself. _Act like it! _

The remaining time, Calixte and Maynerd laugh at me, Calixte occasionally meeting my gaze and making me blush, sometimes meeting Maynerd's gaze, him sticking out his tongue, my spinning around hotly.

_What is wrong with me? Focus._

I meet my mentor laster that day. Her name is Carine Zephyrine. She seems nice enough.

She worked on my aim with me. She's Divergent: Amity and Candor. She ended up choosing Erudite, though, because knowledge fascinated her. She stares when I tell her I got all five factions.

"How-" She begins, but I rudly interrupt her.

"Let's get something to eat. I'm starved!" And then I walk towards the cafeteria, where Calixte, Maynerd, Gertrude, Arthur, and Tilda had begun to mosey to.

She walks beside me, silent, and I am glad that she realizes my Test is a touchy subject, and respects my space.

For lunch, there's thinly sliced meat strips on bread. The bread here is different: white. It's all seedy and brown in Abnegation. I guess that's culture.

I drink some water with it. There were all kinds of strange, neon colored fizzy drinks but I ignore them. Just water for me, please, miss Abnegation.


	7. Chapter 7: Making Plans

Divergent HG: 7  
I sit with Carine at lunch, as well as the other tributes from my district: Moray, Calixte, and Clarita. Their mentors are Greg Mccoy, Selena Worth, and Chance Decker. They each talk enthusiastically with their pupils.

"So," Says Carine, "let's begin. We've already worked on knife throwing, and aim technique, so let's plan something for after lunch. We've got three and a half hours. What should we do?"

I list a few options. "Well, maybe speed testing and reflexes? Or a bit of spear throwing."

Carine nods. "Yeah, let's do that. Speed testing for a half hour, reflexes for 15 minutes, spear throwing for 2 hours, 15 minutes for camouflage, half hour for breaks and advice."

I agree, and finish my lunch.

Throwing the scraps of food and napkins away, Carine and I chat lightly as we make our way to the training room.

Gertrude and Calixte are already there, both with their mentors Louis and Selena.

Eventually Arthur, Maynerd, and Tilda show up, but this time they're all focusing intently on practice. Thank goodness, no more laughing, although Calixte sometimes meets my gaze, which ends with me blushing and turning away. I never really understood what it felt like to have a crush until now.


	8. Chapter 8: The last thing I need

"Hey." Calixte waves. I nod that I saw him, then duck back towards Lorrin, blushing. "What? Oh, him." Says Lorrin, clearly fed up with my growing crush. Lorrin is one of the workers here. She's friends with Carine, and I often find them hanging around and chatting. Calixte hurries down the hall. I watch him go, and turn myself away, embarrassed to find Gertrude and Maynerd looking at me. They stifle a laugh. I glare at them and walk to my room. Today was my last day in the training room. Tomorrow, we learn skills like knot tying and tree climbing and camouflage and stuff like that. I pass by Clarita in the halls. She gives me a dirty look and I sigh. She obviously likes Calixte. Drama. The last thing I need right now is to get all up in some unwanted romance with someone that could be stabbed by me in two days. 


End file.
